Getting Even With Dan
by fangirl1982
Summary: s9, post-Bianca Frost. Jack is hurt by Dan's disloyalty and Gabrielle knows how to make him sorry. J/G. And duh, no claims of ownership whatsoever.
1. Chapter 1

**Getting Even With Dan**

Gabrielle Jaeger watched the group of colleagues from the Emergency Department of All Saints Western General who were seated around a table at Cougars, the local watering hole that many of the hospital's staff members frequented. As the Nurse Unit Manager, she worked business hours which meant she was got to witness a lot of the interactions every Friday night, and tonight was no exception.

There was her subordinate, Cate McMasters, an excellent nurse but one with a chequered past when it came to her personal relationships, and something told Gabrielle that her friend Jo, who had only today reappeared in her life – attempting to break into the house that Cate no longer lived at – would _not_ be a good influence on Cate. She struck Gabrielle as an irresponsible party girl who didn't place much value in friendships – beyond what _she_ could get out of it. Loyalty and responsibility meant to a lot to Gabrielle, and she got the feeling she wouldn't like Jo much.

Then there were doctors Zoe Gallagher and Sean Eveleigh. Gabrielle sensed that there was something going on between them, but if there was, neither of them was saying and Gabrielle wasn't the type to pry. She found prying led to reciprocated prying, and Gabrielle had no desire to share the details of her private life. Her reasons for coming to Sydney were still painful to think about.

And then there was Doctor Jack Quade and his friend and housemate Nurse Dan Goldman. Jack, as a surgeon, wasn't actually part of the ED staff but he seemed to spend more time in the ED than he did in the surgical wing of the hospital. Gabrielle suspected this was partly because he had a lot of mates in the ED and felt more at ease here than in the surgical wing and part of that was that his boss, Bianca Frost, for some reason hated him and Jack heartily disliked being anywhere near her.

Which, until very recently, had included his own home. Dan had been having a fling with her and had made it clear to Jack that he was to make himself scarce. For over a week, Jack had been sleeping in on-call rooms at the hospital, hardly conducive to a good night's sleep. And when Jack had found out Bianca was married, and told Dan, Dan had been less than appreciative of Jack's concern. The tension between the two men who had otherwise made for good friends, colleagues and housemates had culminated in Dan telling Jack he could leave if he didn't like the way things were, and Jack saying he would do just that.

They seemed to be on good terms now. Gabrielle wondered if Dan had apologised for his treatment of Jack. It was a pretty lousy way to treat a friend. And he seemed like a nice guy, too. She had heard so many stories about him when she had first started working at the hospital six months ago, stories about how he had a different girl each night and especially had a penchant for blonds and nurses in the ED NUM's position. But he had been nothing but gentlemanly towards her. He was a born-and-bred Sydney boy and had often suggested things to do and see. And he never made cracks about being a country hick when she demonstrated her ignorance about all things Big City. He'd even given her his mobile number and told her to call him if she ever stumbled into trouble. He'd told her that he knew there were a lot of bad people and bad situations in a city as big as Sydney, especially for a country girl like her, so if she ever got into trouble - and the real kicker was, he actually seemed sincere about offering nothing but support and wanting nothing from her but friendship. It had been a while since a guy had made her feel so respected. He was certainly a far cry from her ex-boyfriend Steve... but she didn't want to think about him right now.

She managed to time her exit from Cougars with Jack's. "Hey," she said, falling into step beside him.

"Hey," he said, a little distracted. Things between him and Dan were strange. Jack was sure Dan was OK with him staying on – wanted him too, even, because the two men had enjoyed an excellent rapport before this Bianca Frost fiasco – but... Dan had never said anything to that effect. It was like buying him a beer was meant to say it all. And maybe Jack was from a different school of friendship, but to him, you didn't make up for screwing over your mate so you could get laid, telling them they could leave if they didn't like it _in front of half a dozen colleagues_ and getting pissed off when you showed concern about their involvement with a married woman by buying them a beer.

So he wasn't particularly in the mood for idle chit-chat with Dan's boss, although he got on with Gabrielle well. Hmm, he didn't have to work tomorrow, maybe he would go over to his sister's – for someone studying law, she seemed to have an awful lot of nights free to drink others under the table – and commiserate with her.

"Things OK with Dan?" she asked.

"Fine."

"So... he apologised and asked you to stay?"

Jack gritted his teeth. It bothered him that Gabrielle had cottoned onto his thoughts almost as much as Dan's lack of consideration and apology had. "No," he said shortly.

"Pretty lousy," she said.

"Yeah? What do you know?" He hadn't meant to be short with her, but he really didn't feel like talking about it.

"Let's just say I know what it's like to have a friend be selfish and inconsiderate when it comes to sex," Gabrielle said, a little more bitterly than she had intended. Jack looked at her sharply, wondering what was behind those words. "Look," she blurted out. "I have an idea. I'm sure Dan's sorry but he has a male pride and won't admit it. And I'm sure he'll miss you once you're gone and actually realise how lousy he was... so why don't you stay with _me_? It won't take more than a few weeks for him to realise how he behaved was pretty rotten."

"What?" Jack asked. Gabrielle started her spiel again. "No, I heard you. I just... wow, this is so... sudden." And yet... he would thoroughly enjoy the look on Dan's face when Jack informed him that he was indeed moving out, just as Dan had said he could if he wasn't happy with the status quo. To be able to tell Dan that he was doing just that and without delay... he had to admit, the idea was _very_ appealing. "And what happens if he's found another housemate after a few weeks... or has decided he prefers living alone?"

"I doubt he will." He could always ask Erica to move in, but Erica seemed to like the independence of having her own little apartment. "And even if he does – how old are you, twenty-five?"

"Twenty-six."

"You're a twenty-six year old surgeon. I'm sure it won't hurt you to get your own place. Look, at least come take a look. What else are you going to do? Go home and get drunk and feel sorry for yourself?"

"Actually, I was planning on going to my sister's and getting drunk and feeling sorry for myself," Jack said, grinning despite himself. There was something likeable about a woman who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking... and thought along the same lines.

Hell, if Gabrielle had the same strong sense of loyalty and honesty that he had, it could be fun, living with her. At least for a few weeks.

* * *

"I can't believe she stole my housemate! My boss stole my housemate!" Dan grumbled to no-one in particular in the tea room a few days later.

"This would be the housemate that you told where the door was in front of a dozen witnesses?" Bart asked with a grin.

"Yeah," Dan admitted. He hadn't meant the words when he had said them, and he certainly hadn't meant the after he had come to realise that Bianca was a manipulative tramp and Jack had only been trying to do the right thing by him. Trying, and failing. Dan was increasingly bugged by the feeling that Bianca hadn't even been interested in _him_ for himself, just as a pawn to use against the illogical grudge she had against Jack, and knowing that getting laid had meant more to him than his friend made him feel particularly low with that knowledge.

"The friend you made sleep at the hospital so you could get laid?" Charlotte added to Dan's embarrassment. She had no sympathy for him; he only had himself to blame. _She_ certainly wouldn't have put up with Dan's behaviour... _she_ would have been more likely to invite Vincent and whoever else she could rope in over to cramp Dan's style. She grinned wickedly at the thought. If she had known what was going on, she would have invited herself over in solidarity with Jack.

"Yeah, that one," Dan admitted, feeling even smaller. How had Gabrielle gotten in so quickly? Well, he _had_ mentioned more than once that Jack was an absolute dream to live with – he cooked, he cleaned, he paid the rent and his share of the bills on time, and if he saw women – either dated them or just slept with them – he was remarkably discreet about it. Which, he knew, was far more than could be said for himself.

"The friend who's boss you were sleeping with? The boss who hated his guts?" Erica asked. She was very fond of Dan, but she enjoyed needling him. She knew Dan was thinking of asking her to move in with him, but she wasn't interested. She _liked_ her one-person apartment, not having to share her space, and besides, what was to stop Dan pulling such a stunt again the next time an attractive woman grabbed his attention? Dan just sank in his chair at that comment, wishing he had never said anything.

"You know, I never understood what Bianca's thing with Jack was about," Charlotte mused. "It's not about men – she sleeps with enough of them that it's not about men. And it's not about surgeons, either, 'cos she has her eye on Vincent."

"Threatened, Charlotte?" Erica teased.

Charlotte made a face. "God, no. As if Vincent would go anywhere near someone like _her_... sorry, Dan," she added when she realised how her words could come across. "But, seriously, there's something really off about her. She hates him, and he has no idea why. And Jack's not the type to go away incurring people's wrath without remembering why."

* * *

Gabrielle was knawing at the bone of a chicken leg when she noticed Jack was looking at her, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Sorry," she said, feeling embarrassed when she realised she was stripping the bone of every bit of delicious, Tandoori-infused flesh.

"It's fine. It's flattering that you like it that much. But I can always make you more."

"Dan didn't like your cooking this much, then?" Gabrielle asked.

"He liked it well enough, but if left to his own devices, he was strictly a microwave-dinner-and-takeout guy," Jack said. Gabrielle, who had been brought up on farm-fresh food, shuddered at the thought. "My dad and brothers were the same. The only other person I've lived with who appreciated my cooking with my old landlady, Mary."

"This is the place that burnt down?" Gabrielle asked. Jack nodded. "Must have been tough."

"Kinda. I mean, yeah, but I've never really felt attached to any particular place so it was more the hassle of moving again and replacing all my stuff than anything else."

For some reason, that struck Gabrielle as even sadder than the toughness of having to build everything over again when your place burned to the ground. "Well, I think you'll enjoy living here," she said confidently. It couldn't possibly be worse than living with someone who expected you to make yourself scarce when they wanted to get laid. She finished off the last of her chicken and thought for a second. "You know, Bianca Frost is convinced there's something between us," she said with a laugh. She didn't give a crap what the arrogant surgeon thought.

Jack made a face. "If I had known that, I would never have agreed to stay here," he said. "I hate the idea of dragging you into this thing I have with her."

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't care. I'm sure I would have run afoul of her eventually, anyway. I tend not to get along with arrogant jerks who think the world doesn't apply to them." Jack laughed at that, thinking that Gabrielle was probably onto something. It would only be a matter time before Bianca's arrogant selfishness came up against Gabrielle's no-bullshit honesty and made life-long enemies out of the two women.

Something in Jack's words and tone caught Gabrielle's attention when she paused to think about it. "What do you mean, this thing you have with her?" she asked. "I thought this was a one-sided thing."

"It is... kind of," Jack said. "Look, this is between us, OK?" Gabrielle nodded. "Frost is her husband's name; _her_ name, the name she has her doctorate in, is Miller. That's how I worked it out. I went to uni with her."

"And you slept with her," Gabrielle realised. "Jack!" she admonished him. "You slept with her and you didn't even remember!"

"Look, I slept with a lot of people at uni," he protested. "I didn't get her drunk or rape her or promise her anything. It wasn't my fault she thought one night meant I owed her something."

"Oh, you want credit for not getting someone drunk to have sex with you?" Gabrielle asked sarcastically, thinking about Steve – and thinking that maybe she had misjudged Jack to be a decent guy.

"No, I don't," Jack said peevishly. "But I don't think it's fair that this woman twisted it around so I became the bad guy and is holding it against me years later. So I slept with her, big deal. I _like_ sex and I refuse to be slut-shamed for it." His eyes glittered dangerously.

"I thought it was only girls who could be slut-shamed," she said ruefully, thinking about growing up in a conservative farming community. "Catholic upbringing?" she asked.

"Worse. Cuckolded step-mother who took all her anger at her husband's infidelities out on his bastard son," he said, with more bitterness than he had intended. He _never_ talked about his unhappy childhood, and certainly not to people who were almost strangers.

"Jesus, I'm sorry."

Jack shrugged. "It's no big deal, and it certainly wasn't your fault. But it took me a long time to think about sex as something that didn't have to be dirty and shameful and damned if anyone is going to judge me and undo all that."

There was something in his words that grabbed Gabrielle for a moment. She had always thought he'd had it easy – good looks, vast intelligence... and yet, he'd had to struggle with his self-identity and likeability, just like her... more than her. And here was Bianca Frost doing her damndest to make him pay for some dumb thing that she'd expected too much out of anyway.

"Why don't you tell people the truth?" Gabrielle asks. "There's plenty of people out there who would _love_ to see Bianca with egg on her face."

"Mostly I just feel sorry for her. She can't be happy if she's holding onto this nothing grudge from years ago. She infuriates me sometimes but after a few minutes I just... feel sorry for her."

"That's very wise."

Jack shrugged. "My step-mother hated me. I mean, really hated me. And for a long time I hated her... until I realised how unhappy she was and how repressed she felt that her only means of voicing her anger was to take it out on me... you can't hate people that you pity."

Gabrielle digested Jack's words slowly. So true. She thought about her ex. In the grips of alcoholism, he would never have a strong relationship with a decent woman – only shallow connections with tramps like the one he had cheated on her with – and before too long, he would lose his job over it, while she was going from strength to strength professionally, even – slowly – making friends that enriched her life more than anyone could have back in her small hometown. And yet –

"Who are you thinking about?" Jack asked mildly, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" Gabrielle asked, a little startled.

"You're thinking about someone. And given what we were just talking about, I'd say that they were someone who hurt you. Badly enough that you can't help but hate them."

Gabrielle blushed. She hadn't realised Jack was capable of such insight. She had never quite been able to shake the notion that the only thing he knew about women were their bodies. "My ex," she said. "He cheated on me – with my best friend – I found out 'cos he gave me Chlamydia – and then when it clicked that I wasn't going to get back with him, he made up a lot of stuff about me. Small country town, some people are _always_ going to believe what the only doctor who's willing to work there will say. It's a large reason that I came here. I felt I needed to start afresh."

"Ouch," Jack said sympathetically. He had been cheated on, it practically came with the territory when you worked such unsociable hours, but he'd never stopped finding it to be an unconscionable act. If you couldn't keep it in your pants, then you shouldn't be in a relationship.

Gabrielle shrugged. "If you saw Ashley, you'd understand. She's gorgeous and sexy and – "

"And you fell for that rubbish?" Jack asked. "People don't cheat 'cos someone's prettier or whatever than what they've already got. They cheat 'cos they're jerks who think of nothing more than their own selfish pleasure. If you really care about someone, as much as you do about yourself and what _you_ want, then you don't cheat."

"You're making that up," Gabrielle accused him.

"I am not. Look, my step-mother's gorgeous, or at least she was before she drank her looks away, she's the last person you'd think someone would cheat on. But dad did it anyway. It just wasn't in his nature to give a crap about anyone or anything other than his own selfish desires. Cheaters are just like that. They're going to cheat and there's nothing their partners can do about it. You could have Mother Theresa's temperament and Jennifer Hawkins's looks and it wouldn't have mattered."

Gabrielle nodded slightly. It made sense and it was of some comfort to her that Steve would probably have still cheated on her even if, in Jack's words, she had been a cross between Mother Theresa and Jennifer Hawkins. "Have you ever...?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm sure by now you've heard about me and Charlotte?" he asked. Gabrielle nodded. People had rushed to tell her under the guise on wanting to warn her about Jack but actually wanting to share gossip. It had certainly been one of the biggest pieces of scandal to hit the hospital in recent memory, of when Jack had slept with and gotten pregnant the best friend of his very-recent-ex-girlfriend (some people suggested that they hadn't even been broken up at the time, that Terri had dumped him because of it, not the other way around), a woman who was supposed to be a loud-and-proud lesbian, none other than Charlotte Beaumont. Charlotte had miscarried, and Terri had left the country less than a year later. Terri had been – and remained – a legend at All Saints, a nun from when the hospital had been run by the Catholic Church, and there were plenty of people that whispered that the event had broken Terri's heart so thoroughly that she had felt her only way out was to leave the country.

Yes, she had heard about it.

"We were broken up at the time – that day, actually. Char and I were dumped by our girlfriends on the same day and we got really drunk... I felt awful about it the moment I woke up. We'd broken up so I know it wasn't technically cheating, but..." he shrugged, struggling to find the words. "I don't like my step-mother. She took all her disappointment and bitterness out on a kid. But I saw how much disappointment and bitterness dad's screwing around brought her. That night with Charlotte was the closest I've ever come to cheating on someone... and I still feel awful about it."

His admission floored Gabrielle. Not just that Jack took infidelity so seriously that he still felt bad about something he'd done when he technically hadn't been in a relationship, but how different his attitude was to Steve's. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship with someone like Jack, to be secure that Jennifer Hawkins could flit by in a bikini and he wouldn't give more than a passing glance, if that...

"What's the deal with you and Charlotte?" she asked after a comfortable lull in the conversation. "I don't mean to pry, but..."

"It's a bit odd for a so-called lesbian to have had her last two sexual partners be men?" Jack offered with a wry grin; he and Charlotte were well aware how much talk there was about them, both individually and together. They had made peace with it months ago and learnt to laugh at it. "Look, you won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Of course not."

Something told Jack that Gabrielle wasn't the type to gossip. There was a very trustworthy essence about her. He wondered what it would be like to have a close friend like her, someone you could be secure in the knowledge that they had your back. "I always got the feeling Charlotte was bisexual. She and Vincent have chemistry, that's obvious, but they married young, too young, like, five years younger than what I am now." Gabrielle nodded slightly as she let the information sink in. Jack had said he was twenty-six; that made him two years older than her, hardly anything at all given how much older Steve had been. She couldn't fathom being married five years ago. "Anyway, I think there was a certain intimacy lacking that comes from maturity and experience and she found that in a woman and decided that meant she was a lesbian. Then there was me and then Spence and that kind of blew apart _that _theory. That's why I say I think she was always bisexual. I think people like Charlotte are attracted to a person, not a gender."

"That's very profound."

Jack grinned. "Yeah, well, maybe I've just had too much to drink and I'm making up shit as I go along." He stood up. "On that note, I think I'll go to bed. See you in the morning. You too, Angel," he said to Gabrielle's pet kelpie. She and the dog seemed quite possessive of each other so Jack figured it was in his best interest to get the animal to warm to him. Besides, he'd never had a pet, let alone something as energetic as a dog, and the thought of the experience brought out the child in him.

"Night, Jack," Gabrielle said. Angel barked. Since his mistress seemed quite taken with him, he decided to put this stranger on probation.

* * *

Dan eyed Gabrielle's lunch jealously. It looked a whole lot more appetising than his own leftover pizza. "Is that –?" he asked, kicking himself once more for losing his temper and telling Jack to get out. He really hadn't meant to. He had known, even as the words were coming out of his mouth, that Jack was right and he was wrong and that he shouldn't have been involved with a married colleague. It was just that Jack could be so bloody sanctimonious about infidelity, as if _he_ was the only person in the world who had ever grown up witness to a marriage undermined by infidelity.

It was just that Jack had managed to remind him how much his mother hated the other woman – or women – that had been in his father's life following the accident that had made his brother a quadriplegic, how devastated she had been to find out. It was a line Dan had sworn he wouldn't cross, and he had done so knowingly _after_ he had found out that Bianca was married, and Jack had managed to make him feel like the same shit that he'd thought of his father as at the time, and Dan hadn't liked it one bit. It had been easier to lash out at Jack than admit to his own shortcomings.

And now Jack had taken him up on his directive to move out and Gabrielle was eating what should be _his_ lunch.

"Chicken parmie?" Gabrielle finished for him, taking note of the fact Dan was following her food with longing in the same way the dogs would when she would tease them as a child, waving it around and watching their heads go back and forth as their eyes followed the food that she waved around. Dan had never looked so sorry to lose Jack as a housemate as he did now, contemplating leftover takeout pizza for lunch. "Yeah. Delicious, isn't it?" And she took a long, savouring mouthful to rival a commercial of chocolate.

If Dan didn't know her better – which he thought he did – he would have sworn she as doing it deliberately. "Can I...?" he asked hopefully.

Gabrielle pulled her plate out of reach. "Forget it," she said. "This cost me a carton of beer. Good stuff, too. Jack doesn't drink VB." Which, growing up on a border NSW town closer to Melbourne than Sydney, made him the first man she knew who didn't. Oh, no. Jack drank premium beer, the further away it had to be shipped from, the better. "I suppose I should be lucky that he settled for some place in WA and not Germany."

"Huh?" asked Dan.

They'd started talking about the things they liked to cook, and when Jack had mentioned he did an unforgettable chicken parmigana, she had contested him. Winner got a carton of beer. Of their choice, Jack had added. Gabrielle had been too full of her superior cooking skills and too ignorant of connoisseur beers to realise how expensive it could get. Well, now she knew. This Black Widow or whatever it was called had better be good, it was costing her enough. And like hell was she sharing the leftovers. "Unless you want to go halves in a carton," she offered.

"How much?"

"Sixty plus freight."

Dan laughed despite himself. He didn't want it _that_ badly. Though it looked so tempting... "You got off lightly," he said. "I learnt very quickly to put dollar caps when I was betting alcohol with Jack. I once had to cough up for a bottle of Scotch from Edinburgh. Hey, did you know it's like, two and a half dollars to the pound..."

Jack caught up with Gabrielle later. "Dan looked like he was ready to fake an emergency to distract me and grab the parmie," Gabrielle laughed. "I've seen untrained puppies with more discipline than him when it came to following food with their eyes." Jack laughed at that, laughed like a schoolboy who's just pulled off a particularly funny but basically harmless joke, and Gabrielle found herself thinking that he had the most enchanting laugh. "Did you _really_ trick Dan into thinking the pound and dollar were equal?" she asked.

Jack laughed at that, too. "No, Dan did that all by himself. I love the guy, he just... has no idea what currencies are worth against each other. Plus, I may have let Terri take a cut for knowing the most expensive Scotch, too. _How_ she knew, I'm not sure I want to know." He laughed again, but it was a pleasant, nostalgic laugh, not bitter or longing like he wasn't over his ex, and Gabrielle found that she liked that in him. "Hey, speaking of which, it's not going to cost you a hundred bucks. I know one of the guys at Matilda Bay so I get a really good price and I figured since your parmie was close, a six-pack is yours, so... call it forty."

Gabrielle was oddly touched by the fact that Jack had thought it was funny he had screwed Dan, partly though his premium tastes and partly through Dan's stupidity... and here he was, offering her a significant deal. "What did you and Dan bet on?" she asked. "I mean, when you took him for a ride over a bottle of Scotch?"

Jack grinned. "It was over who could make the best pizza. He thought he could whack a McCain's thing in the oven and compete with a recipe I've been perfecting for ten years."

Gabrielle laughed at that. "Then he deserved to lose his money. And I'll win you back with my roast."

Without realising, she had allowed Jack to wrap his arm around her waist and she put her head on his shoulder as he lead her to her car.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gabs, are you doing anything tonight?" Jack asked Gabrielle about a week later.

Was he kidding? She _never_ did anything at night. She knew hardly anyone outside the hospital and nothing of what was worth doing for fun. "No, why?"

"'Cos I'm bored and the Colosseum's doing an Italian double."

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "Isn't that in Athens?" she asked.

His mouth turned up in a slightly patronising smile. "It's actually in Rome, the one you're talking about. What I'm talking about is a cinema that specialises in European-language films."

She scowled at the slightly patronising tone in his voice. "Sor-_eee_," she said sarcastically.

He flashed her a guilty smile. "I know I can be a bit of a prat sometimes," he admitted. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Look, let me buy you a drink after to make it up to you. Please? It's much more fun seeing a movie with company."

He sounded so contrite that she wanted to melt. But she wouldn't let him off _too_ quickly... especially when it was quite pleasant to have a man who was instantly apologetic over so minor a slight. "Alcoholic?" she asked.

"Of course. Where's the fun in seeing foreign films if you can't discuss them over expensive cocktails with exotic names?"

Several hours later, Gabrielle was talking a mile a minute after two engaging movies and several cocktails that went down like silk, too delicious for her to stop and think about how much alcohol they contained. "Sorry, I'm talking too much," she apologised when she saw Jack looking at her intently, an indefinable smile on his face.

"It's fine. I think I'm enjoying your enthusiasm more than I did the movies."

"You've seen them before?"

"_Life is Beautiful_, yes. Not _The Last Kiss_. To be honest, I'm surprised you liked it, given your feelings on infidelity."

Gabrielle shrugged. Jack had a point, and yet... "I liked the way it was portrayed. I liked how it was a one-time thing and he called it off of his own choice instead of being caught out... and I liked how he was open-minded about not being able to expect fidelity from his wife. It was a ... different way of looking at things. Very..."

"European?" Jack offered. Gabrielle nodded. "It's what I like about the Colosseum. I'm not big on American movies."

Gabrielle had to laugh at that. "You have a reputation for being a cultural snob. I'm beginning to think maybe you were in the right." She took a long sip of her cocktail. "These are delicious," she said in a way that gave Jack the impression she thought as highly of his taste in cocktails – he had ordered for her, her experience in alcohol was largely limited to VB – as she did his taste in movies. He found himself feeling oddly flustered at that.

"Why don't I take you home?" he suggested. "I can do a pretty good version of these myself, and for a third of the price."

* * *

"Let me guess, you attempted to match Jack drink-for-drink and came off somewhat worse for wear?" Vincent asked Gabrielle the following day. She certainly wasn't up to her usual standard of poise and chipperness.

Gabrielle glowered at Vincent. She couldn't believe those silky, fruity cocktails could pack such a punch... and leave her with such a hangover. Of course, she hadn't done herself any favours by insisting she was fine when Jack had suggested she should quit for the night. But that was all his fault. He shouldn't know how to make such delicious drinks that tasted like fruit smoothies and contained about five standard drinks.

That, and he shouldn't be allowed to be so charming or insightful. He was fascinating to talk to, especially after a few drinks. He had opened up a little about his relationships with Terri and Deanna and she was beginning to realise how little the rumours matched up to the truth. By his own admission, he had bad judgement when it came to women, but it was the worst he could be accused of.

"What's the deal with you and Cate?" she couldn't resist asking after a few drinks. Jack had just looked at her blankly. "I mean, I know you guys are mates, and, well... people talk."

"And naturally when two people have made asses of ourselves over relationships the way Cate and I have, it's par for the course for us to eventually gravitate towards each other?" Jack asked.

Gabrielle looked sheepish that Jack had so succinctly worded what people were assuming about them. But at least Jack didn't look put out. "Something like that."

"We have a lot in common, including our talents for falling for the wrong people," Jack said ruefully. "I have a lot of fun with her, but we're just mates. And God knows, right now she needs a mate who isn't going to take advantage of her."

The tone in Jack's voice suggested that he was very aware of the trouble Cate was getting herself into. Neither of them could do much to help someone as wilful as Cate was while she was insistent that she didn't need help... but Gabrielle felt better about the situation knowing that Cate had someone like Jack having her back. "I would have liked having someone like you as my mate," she said wistfully, thinking that maybe if she'd had Jack as a best mate instead of Ashley – well, thing would have been a lot different, that was for sure.'

Jack had immediately noticed the melancholy shift in her mood and correctly assumed she was thinking of Ashley. God knew from the sounds of her that this woman, she was in the same category of 'friend' as Jo. She didn't deserve to be at the mercy of someone like that. He reached out and squeezed her hand. "You do have someone like me as a mate," he had told her...

"Gabrielle?" Vincent asked, noticing the faraway look in her eyes as she recalled something – presumably something happy, from the slight smile on her face. Vincent repeated her name again, and Gabrielle jumped to attention. "I asked if you tried matching drinks with Jack. You don't look too good."

Gabrielle scowled again. "It should be illegal for someone to be able to hold their alcohol like that, and act the next morning like that hadn't drunk at all."

Vincent laughed at that. "You're not the first person to discover that," he said. "He and his sister are like two peas in a pod like that. It's frankly a bit embarrassing that this slip of an eighteen-year-old can out-drink men twicer her size."

Gabrielle suppressed a smile at that. Vincent sounded like he wished he was a little younger so he _could_ match wits with a slip of an eighteen-year-old. If Rebecca was as charming and insightful as her older brother, it didn't surprise her that so many men found her enchanting. "What's she like?" Gabrielle asked. "Rebecca, I mean."

Vincent gave her a penetrating look that made Gabrielle think she'd been a touch too inquisitive and she shrank back a little. "I've only met her twice," he said. "But I know Jack thinks the world of her. They're unbelievably in sync, you'd think they were twins and not half-siblings seven years apart the way they carry on."

"You sound like you like her."

Vincent laughed at that. "I like that she humiliated Jack's girlfriend at the time. No-one but Jack particularly liked her, but Rebecca in particular hated her, and Deanna made the mistake of thinking this teenager he'd known for a few months was of no consequence. She seems devoted to him and it's good for him to have that. But God help any woman he decides to date who she doesn't approve of." And he walked off, still chuckling at the image of Rebecca getting the better of Deanna.

Nonetheless, he mentioned it to Charlotte later on. "They seem pretty pally," Vincent noted.

"Good God, Vincent, don't tell me that you of all people is listening to the crap that's coming out of Bianca Frost's mouth," Charlotte said. Bianca had done her danmdest to insinuate that there was something going on between Jack and Gabrielle. Jack had retaliated by telling anyone who would listen that such was the nature of Bianca's mind and ego that she found that theory much more believable than the fact Gabrielle had refused to work with her after she had terrorised her staff once too often. Jack had been willing to take a lot of crap from Bianca, but the second she went after anyone else – especially someone he cared about who had been caught in the crossfire of Bianca's hatred of him – he proved he could be just as mean as his sister could be. Vincent couldn't help but wonder if something more than simple palliness was going on between them that Jack had come to her defence like that.

"Of course I don't," Vincent said. He didn't like Bianca any better than anyone else. Her only good trait was her phenomenal skills as a surgeon, and for that, they had to tolerate her arrogance and pettiness. He was actually starting to wish Mike was still around. _He_ wouldn't have tolerated her attitude. "They just seem to be doing a lot together lately."

"Oddly enough, that's what mates do. _We_ socialise a lot."

Which, in Vincent's opinion, was precisely the point. He and Charlotte had been married and their friendship stemmed from that closeness. Jack and Gabrielle had barely known each other until he had moved in just a few weeks ago. "You're reading far too much into it," Charlotte said when Vincent tried to explain himself. "Go... talk to Jack about cars or whatever you boys talk about."

Vincent stifled a snort of laughter at that. For all their own closeness, Charlotte didn't know Jack as well as she thought she did, because Jack found cars mind-numbingly boring in the same way most people did algebra.

* * *

"You look like crap," Cate said, which Gabrielle thought was somewhat hypocritical given the state she came in most days – usually late, no less. Typical Murphy's Law, it was the first time in a week that Cate had had a sober night before and Gabrielle was hungover. She felt very unprofessional and vowed to get even with Jack over this. "Drinking session with Jack and Rebecca?"

"Just Jack. Didn't realise he was so good with a cocktail shaker."

"Or a blender," Cate said dryly. She caught Jack looking at her and grinned ruefully. "We've ended up having quite a few pity parties between us. He's a good mate to have your back."

There was a tone in Cate's voice that sounded like regret. "You haven't spent much time with him lately?" she asked. But then, he already knew that, living with him.

"Jo came onto him in, well – the way she does." Gabrielle nodded. Sean had made it clear what he thought of the man-eating brunette. _Forward_ wasn't the word. "It creeped him out. I mean, _really_ creeped him out. He doesn't like, uh... _forward_ women."

"That's not actually what he called her, is it?" Gabrielle asked knowingly.

Cate shook her head. Jack had actually made some cutting observations that were blindingly true despite their inherent viciousness. Which in itself was unlike Jack and testimony to how uncomfortable Jo's advances had made him. "He wants someone... nice, I guess. Genuine and.. not shy or coy but not going to throw herself at him, either. So I haven't seen much of him lately 'cos he wants nothing to do with Jo and I spend a lot of time with her, so..." Cate shrugged to say that she wasn't happy about the situation, but she didn't see that there was anything she could do about it.

Gabrielle made a mental note to have a word to Jack about giving Cate a bit of leeway. It would do the poor girl no good to have friends like Jack slip away because of the influence of so-called 'friends' like Jo. But more importantly, she felt a fission of joy that Jack had been so turned off by someone as obvious and aggressive as Jo. It made her think more of him to know that he wasn't interested in women like Jo... and Ashley.

* * *

"Jack, did you have any plans for next Friday?" Gabrielle asked. She didn't want to be too forward and admit that she'd already taken a peek at his roster and knew that he had both Friday and Saturday off, but she was hoping he had no plans.

"Yeah, I'm doing something with my sister," he said. "Why?"

She tried to hide her disappointment. "No reason, just thought you might want to do something."

He looked at her quizzically. It was a bit odd to ask if someone was free more than a week in advance. "You sure?" he asked.

She smiled weakly, feeling stupid. Of _course_ with the lousy schedule Bianca had him on, he would already had plans for a rare Friday night off. "Yeah," she said, hoping she sounded convincing, "Just... felt like going out, that's all."

He waited until she went to have a shower and made a beeline for her bag. He never got why women just kept their bags lying around when they had housemates, but then, she was a country girl from a place you couldn't just pop into a rob, and he tended to judge people by his own anal standard of privacy. Besides, it was handy to have access to her bag. Something told him next Friday was special for her and he wanted to know what.

Trying not to dislodge anything so it would be obvious her bag had been pawed through, Jack noted her planner and quickly flipped through it. There was nothing of note, either next Friday or any other day, other than a note to visit her father and brother a few weekends from now. It made Jack feel a little sorry for her; she really _didn't_ know anyone in Sydney other than him. Though it couldn't be easy for her, growing up in an environment so different to Sydney. He bet country people were a lot more friendly and coming to Sydney would have been something of a shock.

Well, there was nothing to be found in her planner. He spotted her purse and, feeling somewhat guilty, retrieved it and opened it up. He rationalised that he wasn't _stealing_ from her, just looking for information. And he had a feeling he was going to find it on her driver's licence.

It was an old picture – she would have been seventeen or eighteen in it – and Jack smirked at it. She looked quite cute, if somewhat countryish. And she was remarkably young to be a NUM, but he'd already known that. But it wasn't the picture he was interested in, or even the year she was born in. It was her date of birth that he was after, her birthday.

It was next Friday.

* * *

Gabrielle came home the following Friday tired and cranky. Her father and brother had called her at work to wish her a happy birthday, and she had appreciated it, but it had only served to remind her that she would be spending her birthday alone. At least if she was on the farm, she would be with family and friends. Here, she had no-one.

She entered her room to find Jack rummaging through her wardrobe with the indifferent air as if he was going through his own. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"You," he said accusingly, "have precisely jack shit that you can wear out in Sydney." He pawed through a series of cotton dresses that she wore on days off. She cringed, feeling frumpy enough that she forgot to be pissed off at Jack for rummaging through her wardrobe. He was right; she had nothing she could wear out in a place like Sydney. She didn't even have the kind of flashy nightclub clothes that she seemed to be seeing Cate wearing all the time that she wasn't in uniform. "Bloody hell. I thought all girls got taught by their mothers how to dress."

"In case you've forgotten, my mum died when I was sixteen," Gabrielle said sullenly. She suddenly remembered the photo Jack had of him and his sister at a wedding last year. She had been wearing a white flowing dress – silk, maybe – that wasn't out-of-place at a wedding.

"Sorry," Jack said. He hadn't meant to rile her up, but he couldn't believe the lack of dress clothes Jack had. Maybe he should have said something sooner, given her time to get something appropriate, rather than wanting it to be a surprise. "Ah, here we go," he said, pulling out an emerald-green dress which felt like taffeta. It had a v-neckline and was clinched at the waist in a runched style. "Hey, this is nice," he said, unable to hide his surprise that Gabrielle possessed such a dress, especially considering the rest of her wardrobe consisted of jeans, t-shirts and summer dresses.

In truth, she had forgotten that she had it. She had spotted it on clearance sale shortly after arriving in Sydney, and even though it had been something of an indulgence for her, she had bought it on impulse. It had meant to be a 'nice' dress that she could wear to all the exciting places she felt she would be sure to go to... but so far, nothing. The price tag was still on it. "What are you doing?" she asked, feeling ever more sorry for herself watching Jack go through her wardrobe and flaunting the dress that she had no reason to wear.

"How do you feel about musicals about controversial feminist icons?" Jack asked.

"Huh?"

"I have tickets to _Evita_ and you need a nice dress. You know, the musical about Eva Peron. It was made into a movie –"

"Jack, I've heard of _Evita_. I just don't understand what you're talking about. I thought you had plans with your sister."

"I did," he said with a disarming grin. "Hence why I have two tickets. I told Rebecca it wasn't right for a girl to spend her birthday at home alone. Especially not her first birthday in Sydney. She's pissed at me, but I think she'll get over it. There are other plays, and she only has one brother."

He said this all as casually as if he had bailed on a coffee date he'd had planned with Rebecca. "Jack... I can't take you sister's ticket," she said, wanting to cry for joy over such a pleasant surprise. _A play_. She had never been to a play before, not unless you counted the ones they had put on at school. And it had to be at a pretty nice place if her green dress was suitable for it. Despite herself, she imagined being all dolled up with Jack on her arm. And he was tall enough that even in heels, he would still be taller than her. She forced the image from her mind. She couldn't take his sister's ticket.

Jack made a face. "Man, don't tell me you already have plans," he said. "Damn, I _knew_ I should have said something before."

"No, I don't have plans, I just can't take your sister's ticket. She's you _sister_, Jack. I know you don't see her as much as you want to."

Jack shrugged. "Too late, she's already made plans." He checked his watch. "Look, I have dinner reservations for seven, you have forty-five minutes to get ready. _Please_ don't tell me you're one of those girls who takes hours to get ready."

She smiled at that, imagining her father's reaction if she spent hours in the bathroom when there were chores to be done. "No, I'm not. I can be ready in half an hour." Impulsively, she gave a very un-Gabrielle squeal and threw herself into Jack's arms. "Thankyou," she gushed. "This means a lot to me."

He spun her around in a circle. She was secretly delighted that he was able to lift her with such ease. She could feel the muscles in his chest tensing to handle the extra weight, and she found it sexy. Certainly, Steve had never been in as good shape as Jack was. She kissed him on the cheek and he put her down. "I'll be as quick as I can," she said.

He watched her go. And he hadn't even gotten into trouble for going through her stuff. Of course, it hadn't occurred to her, but with any luck by the time it did, he would have made her too happy to care.

He had sugar-coated the truth when he had said Rebecca was a little pissed. She had been mad as hell. But she had no other siblings so she couldn't hold a grudge forever, and anyway, seeing Gabrielle's eyes sparkle like that had made any anger he had to deal with totally worth it.

"Thanks so much for this," Gabrielle said several hours later when they got home. She felt glamorous and sophisticated. She felt like a million dollars. "This is best birthday ever." Helped along by the fact that ever so often, she had pictured Ashley seeing her, in the kind of outfit that you couldn't just pick up at Target Country, dining in a fancy restaurant and then seeing a critically acclaimed musical on the arm of a handsome young doctor. She giggled, relishing the thought.

"What's so funny?" Jack asked.

"Just... happy." She didn't feel like saying Ashley's name out loud; it seemed like it would spoil the moment.

"Good. We should do it again sometime."

"I'd like that. But you're not paying for me again. I shouldn't have let you pay for me in the first place."

"Rubbish. But if it makes you feel better, you can pay for the first round of drinks for, like, ever."

She laughed. "Deal."

He walked her to her room. "I had a great night," she said.

"Me, too," he said. "I haven't had this much fun in... months," he said. Their eyes connected and she knew without being told that he hadn't had such a good time since Deanna's betrayal... maybe even since before that. It gave her a thrill to know that she could make Jack feel good, have fun. Steve had stripped her of so much of her self-esteem when it came to men... but here was this man, younger, fitter, infinitely more worldly, who enjoyed being around her, had fun with her...

She didn't want the night to end, but she knew it had to. "Well, goodnight," she said...

...Jack's hand snaked in front of hers and grabbed the door handle before she could, keeping it firmly closed. "Hey," he said huskily. "You don't think I'm so little a gentleman that I take a girl out for her birthday and don't kiss her goodnight?" Her heart caught in her throat as he said it and she was suddenly very aware of how nice he smelt – of soap, shampoo and breath mints. She suddenly realised how often she had thought about what it would be like to be kissed by someone who cared about being clean.

His lips were soft, almost tentative, on hers, his tongue running gently across her lips, seeking a sign of consent. Steve had certainly never kissed her like this, so gentle, so respectful, so soft despite the obvious power in his body. She opened her mouth slightly and met his tongue with her own. "Jack," she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair, so soft and clean and pity it was a touch too short and she couldn't properly run her fingers through it. "Jack."

He wrapped one arm around her waist, his other hand still on the door handle. She arched her body so she pushed the small of her back against his arm and shifted her breasts against his chest at the same time in unspoken consent. Jack moved his arm up, his hand on the zipper of her dress and he tugged it down gently, loosening the material so he had more bare skin to kiss and touch. "Jack," she said again.

He lifted her up into his arms and twisted the door handle awkwardly, opening it and carrying her into her room, laying her down on the bed with gentleness and grace before moving on top of her...

... "Good night," Jack echoed, a faint smile on her face, as if he could read her thought. Gabrielle was glad that it was dark and she had make-up on so Jack couldn't see her blushing. Embarrassed, she quickly opened the door and escaped to the sanctuary of her room. She leaned against the door, her face burning. It had been so vivid! And worse, after Jack had been so nice and taken her out on her birthday... surely she should have known that he was just being a mate, but no, she had construed it as a date. If it _had_ been a date, it had merely been of the pity kind. And like an idiot, she had let her imagination run away with her and thought Jack was actually interested in her, when everyone knew that he wasn't interested in dating another colleague.

She banged her head against the door, feeling stupid.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm agreeing with Bianca. There's something going on between them," Vincent insisted.

"Yeah, 'cos they're both so pally with her that they'd confide in her," Charlotte scoffed. By this point, the mutual ill-feeling between Bianca and Gabrielle was on a par with the mutual ill-feeling between Bianca and Jack. And the best thing was, Jack and Gabrielle seemed to have something on Bianca that had Bianca more and more on the back foot. Charlotte was dying to know what it was. "Besides, don't you remember how he was after Deanna?"

Vincent shrugged. "This is different. He's had time to get to know Gabrielle. We all have. Hell, I think even _Rebecca_ would like her."

Charlotte laughed at that. "I doubt it. Apparently Jack had plans to see some play with her but ditched her to take Gabrielle out on her birthday and she's been sore about it ever since. Didn't want to _see_ the play, of course, but pissed as hell that he dare take someone else. I think she's worried she has another Deanna on her hands."

To Vincent's amazement, Charlotte had managed to completely miss the fact that _Jack had made plans with his sister and then bailed on her to do the same thing with Gabrielle_. More to the point – "How do you know this?" he asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "I have my sources," she said.

Which meant she and Rebecca had lesbian acquaintances in common, Vincent surmised. Never mind. Charlotte had just proved his theory. Jack didn't ditch his sister for just anyone.

* * *

"Hey, d'you feel like coming over for a playstation marathon?" Dan asked Jack a few days later. It had been a month now and Dan was seriously missing Jack. It had been nice to have the company of someone who liked to do guy things, even just a little. Neither Jessica or Erica were gamers, and while Bart was eager to learn, it wasn't the same as having Jack around.

"Thanks, but I promised Gabrielle I'd be home for dinner. She's doing a roast chicken."

Dan scowled. Roast chicken sounded nice. It would sure beat a microwave dinner. It wasn't fair that two talented cooks were concentrated in the same house. "I'll pick one up from Woolies," he offered.

Jack laughed at that. "I suggest you _never_ compare a Woolies chook to hers is you ever want day shifts again," he said. "Apparently there isn't a butcher in the entire of Sydney that sells chickens to her standard. This one came from her family farm. She made a massive deal about it being hormone free and squawking yesterday. I think she'd throw me out if I told her I was choosing a Woolies chook over hers."

_Wish she would,_ Dan thought.

"That was your idea of an apology?" Erica asked with a smirk after Jack had left. Dan smiled sheepishly. "That was the shittiest apololgy that I've ever heard. In fact, it wasn't even an apology. It was you trying to be mates again without admitting any wrongdoing."

"He knows I was wrong!" Dan said indignantly.

"Have you _told_ him that?" Erica asked. Dan was silent. "Well, you'd better hop to it. I don't think playstation will trump roast chook for long."

* * *

"My legs hurt," Jack complained. "How can you put yourself through this?"

"You told me you hit the treadmill for an hour at a time, you big wuss," Gabrielle scoffed. Secretly she was impressed that Jack had lasted this long. People rarely got how much harder it was to walk, job or run through soft sand than a hard surface until they actually did it.

"That's a treadmill," Jack countered. "It's a hard surface." Actually, he'd kept up with her as long as he could, too embarrassed to admit how much harder it was to jog along the beach than it was to hit the treadmill. He was beginning to understand why she had so much energy, if she took Angel for frequent walks at the dog beach. Well, he was still bigger and stronger than her. That thought made him feel a lot better.

"Fine, sit on the sand and read your stupid book," she said.

He poked his tongue out at her. "You only think it's stupid 'cos you didn't know who Tolstoy was." She poked her tongue back at him and set off along the beach. Jack retreated to a patch of sand further away from the surf, laid out his towel and settled down to read his book...

... The book wasn't as interesting as it might have been, so Jack watched Gabrielle instead. She was in incredibly good shape. He knew she was fit but hadn't knows just _how_ fit under the jeans and t-shirts she normally wore. But in shorts and a bikini top, the muscles in her arms and legs were obvious. Not to mention the way she handled a boisterous adult kelpie like it was a miniature poodle, or maybe a kitten. And the way her hair was loose down her back, and the massive expanses of skin, slightly tanned thanks to hours spent walking Angel.

She let Angel off his leash and he bounded into the water, looking every inch the working dogs that kelpies were bred to be. She sauntered up to him and he couldn't help but notice how glowingly healthy and alive she looked. Her hair was a mess, but that only made her look freer. He wondered how he had ever found Terri, with her waifish figure that made her appear so delicate and hair that was never out of place or clothes that were never unruffled, attractive.

He held out his hand to help her down. She stumbled slightly, and ended up straddling him, her knees on either side of him. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt warm, that kind of dry warmth that you only seem able to get by being out in the sunshine. Jesus Christ, how could he have possibly missed how gorgeous she was?

He kissed her with an intensity that surprised him. After Deanna he had shut himself off romantically, and hadn't thought he could feel this way about a woman again. He wasn't sure he had _ever_ felt this way about a woman. With Terri, he had known deep down that she didn't return the depth of his feelings, and he had never really known Deanna. But he knew Gabrielle, had laughed with her, hung out with her, shared his world, shared hers.

She tasted warm and salty. He searched for her tongue and she provided eagerly. He ran his hand down her back, tracing random patterns across her skin, feeling the grains of sand scattered over her body. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, but that would mean pulling his mouth away from hers.

He could feel her weight bearing down on him, and allowed her to push her onto his back before he flipped her so she was beneath her. "I like to be in top," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes, before he started exploring her face and neck with his mouth.

"Jack," she said, and he liked the way his name sounded on her tongue. "Jack..."

... "Jack! You're going to get burnt!" Gabrielle interrupted his reverie. Jack woke up with a start and rubbed his eyes. God, that had been vivid. He wondered if the heat in his face was to do with the sun or if he was blushing. He turned his face from her and pretended to be busy with retrieving his book. "I told you that doorstop isn't beach material," she said. She handed him a bottle of sunscreen.

"Thanks," he mumbled, still not looking at her.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Just a little overheated," he lied. She handed him a bottle of water and he thanked her for it. God, how embarrassing. She wouldn't have given him a second thought. No way would she be interested in a colleague, especially not someone with his reputation... although she _did_ know him better than most. He finally looked at her. She looked even more gorgeous that she had in his dream. He clenched his fists, willing himself not to grab her and run them over the bare expanses of skin that she was showing, "You're hair's a mess," he mumbled.

She poked her tongue out at him and he fought the urge to kiss her. "You know how to make a girl feel good about herself, doncha?" she quipped. She raked her eyes over him. He looked flushed and uncomfortable. Maybe getting him to the beach hadn't been such a great idea. The guy spent so much time indoors, either in surgery or holed up reading a book, that all this sunshine had probably been too much for him. "You OK?" she asked.

"I'm fine."

"Then let's head home. I'm starving and it's your turn to cook."

Jack got up, and Gabrielle leaned into him the way she so often did. Jack didn't see any alternative but to wrap his arm around her warm, bare back


	3. Chapter 3

"Remind me how you remain single?" Gabrielle asked as Jack expertly untangled her hair. She loved to walk along the beach with it loose, but it always got so tangled. Fortunately, among his many talents, Jack had a knack for untangling hair without making the female in question yelp in pain. He had learnt it from Lucy Stevens, who seemed to have had her _own_ knack for getting her hair tangled.

Jack laughed ruefully at that. "Never found anyone I cared enough about to be in a relationship with," he admitted. He was glad that Gabrielle on sitting on the floor with her back to him so she couldn't see the blood creep into his cheeks. It had been several weeks now since their outing at the beach and as hard as he tried to pretend it had never happened – after all, as far as anyone but himself was concerned, it _hadn't_ happened – there were moments when he couldn't help but remember how good it had felt to kiss her...

"Really?" Gabrielle asked, her interest piqued. "All those women who must _love_ to have you as a boyfriend."

"Yeah, that's just the point. I've met plenty of women who want to go out with me 'cos I'm a surgeon... and not many who wanted to go out with me for myself. I know what you're thinking, poor Jack, has all these women throwing themselves at him and _still_ isn't happy, but... that kind of attention was never what I wanted from a relationship. I want something _real_ with someone who wants to be with _me_, not for my career or 'cos I have a bit of money behind me or whatever."

Gabrielle nodded. It made sense. It occurred to her that being a good-looking young surgeon wasn't all it was cracked up to be. She was well aware how many women would kill to date such a man – her ex-best friend Ashley included – precisely because he _was_ a good-looking, personality be damned. "If it makes you feel any better, _I_ like you for you," she said.

He smiled thinly. If only she knew... "Thanks," he said.

They sat in companionable silence for a few more minutes, Gabrielle passively enjoying Jack's efforts, before she asked, "So... Bianca never interested you in that way, did she?" in a teasing voice.

Even though she was sitting with her back to him, she knew he was making a face. "God, no. She was vapid and clingy and really quite selfish in bed. Her opinion of herself didn't match up with the reality." Gabrielle laughed at that; it sounded exactly like Bianca today. "I expected better than someone that much older than me."

Gabrielle scoffed at that. "_That_ much older than you? Come _on_, she's only twenty-eight. Dan told me."

"Then she lied to Dan," Jack said. "She's thirty-one."

"_What_?" Completely forgetting how lovely Jack's attention to her hair was, she twisted around. "How did you know?"

Jack shrugged as if it was no great revelation. "She was fifth year when I was second, and I started two years earlier, when I was sixteen. So she was five years older than me – still is," he tacked on. Age gaps tended not to shrink, although they became relatively less important as you got older. "I checked when I realised who she was. She's five years older than me. She's thirty one."

Gabrielle returned to her sitting position. "Ha!" she said. So Bianca had lied about her age. "I _knew_ she had achieved too much for twenty-eight. Oooh, am I allowed to say something about this?"

Jack shrugged. "If you want, it's not exactly a state secret. Just... don't say anything about her and I, OK?"

Gabrielle sniffed loftily at that. "Why not? She deserves to be brought down a peg or two." Really, crucifying someone because they slept with you eight years ago in a perfectly consensual situation – Gabrielle had known from their first few encounters that she wasn't the type of woman who forgot a slight, but that was ridiculous.

"Maybe she does, but it's not fair to put Dan through that. I worked it out after he stopped seeing her and I don't see the point in telling him that hey, her attraction to you may have been solely motivated in sticking it to me."

Gabrielle went quiet at that. Personally, she would have shouted it to the rooftops, to hell with a former housemate who thought it was perfectly OK to kick you out of the house to get laid. But Jack was Jack, with his own brand of loyalty and dignity. That neither Dan or Bianca deserved it, at least in Gabrielle's opinion, wasn't so much the point as the fact he was such a decent guy was.

When he resumed combing her hair, she wished just a teensy little bit that there was something more to it than just a friend doing a favour for another friend.

* * *

Gabrielle didn't have long to wait before the opportunity to needle Bianca about her age rose. Charlotte and Vincent were having a nostalgic discussion about turning thirty and how there was always that little bit of regret, no matter what you'd achieved for yourself. "Everyone thinks they should have achieved more," Charlotte said wistfully. "Career, travel, family... it's never enough." Gabrielle had smiled at that. From what she had heard about both doctors, they had achieved plenty by the time they were thirty. Between Charlotte's adventures in Europe and Vincent's two marriages and time working in Timor, their lives sounded so much more glamorous than her own.

Bianca, who had made a habit of trailing after Vincent as if constantly being in his face would suddenly make him aware of her various charms – what they were, Gabrielle had no idea – was there with them. Gabrielle had been wishing she would go away – Bianca had been particularly vicious to her since Jack had moved in, convinced that the reason Gabrielle didn't want her working with her staff was because of Jack's influence and not because none of her staff other than Dan could stand being around her – but now, she had found the perfect weapon in her hand. "What was it like for you, Bianca?" she asked sweetly.

Bianca sniffed. "I'm twenty-eight," she said haughtily, glaring darkly at this plain-looking girl who everyone said Jack was so fond of that he'd ditched his own sister to take her out on her birthday. Not that she believed the stories that he was extremely fond of his sister. She highly doubted Jack Quade was fond of anyone – except, of course, himself.

"Really? Jack said you were thirty-one. Said you were five years older than him."

"And what would Jack know?" she asked, even more haughtily, as if Jack suffered from serious mental retardation rather than a brilliant mind.

"Well, he said that when he was in second year at AUMEL, you were in fifth, but he started two years earlier so that makes you five years older. Unless it's a different Bianca Miller that he's thinking about? Graduated in 'ninety-nine, credits and distinctions?"

Vincent was trying to hide his laughter now. There was something about the highly disconcerted look on Bianca's face that told him Gabrielle knew _exactly_ what she was talking about – and so did Bianca. "I thought you got all high distinctions?" he asked sweetly.

"I know Jack did," Charlotte piped up. She and Vincent had always been very in sync in thinking, and she picked up where Vincent was going with this, calling Bianca on the fact that she hadn't achieved as high as she had said she had, and had, in fact, 'borrowed' someone else's results. Like Jack's. "I never met anyone prouder of his academic transcript. Can't say I blame him, though. If I had _his_ dad, I'd be shouting my achievements to the rooftops."

"Then he must have the wrong Bianca Miller," Bianca said haughtily. But the damage was done. Shooting a death glare in Gabrielle's direction, she made a fast exit.

"She's really thirty-one?" Charlotte asked. Gabrielle nodded. "And you're sure Jack just hasn't confused her with another Bianca Miller? After all, it's a fairly common name."

"Yeah, because there are _so many_ half-Polynesian Bianca Millers running around with _her_ attitude towards him," Gabrielle countered.

Charlotte eyed her suspiciously. Gabrielle had a good point. Bianca bore a grudge against Jack which no-one understood. And if anyone knew what it was, it would be the person who Jack shared a house with – the person he was close enough to to ditch his sister in favour of. And given that Bianca never forgot a slight, no many how minor or how long ago, and Jack's chief means of causing trouble for himself was his penchant for older women... "What do you know?" she asked. "C'mon, spill."

Gabrielle smiled brightly. "Me, betray a friend like that? I think you're confusing me with Dan." And with that she walked off, grinning wildly.

By the end of the day, it was all over the hospital that Bianca had lied about her age and given herself airs about being a head of trauma so young. It had been easy enough to pull her personnel file. Thirty-one was still young, but not nearly as impressive as twenty-eight. More to the point, all the people who had suffered under Bianca's haughtiness and arrogance got a good laugh at that. Bianca Frost, giving herself airs about an achievement she hadn't actually accomplished. Not to mention her so-called spotless academic record of high achievements; that, too, was easily enough located for someone who knew how. Or the fact that the academic record she claimed to have achieve was, in fact, the same academic record that Jack Quade had achieved; and_ that_ was real enough.

It didn't take people too long to point out that there had to be a connection between Bianca's hatred of Jack and her claiming an academic record that he actually possessed. Too many people had suffered at the hands of her nastiness _not_ to make that connection now. And everyone knew that Bianca hated Jack, even though he seemed to have no idea what he had done to incur such wrath. Also, everyone knew that Jack had long had a thing for older women- in fact (and it was actually Cate who had gleefully raided the ED's personnel records while Gabrielle kept Frank otherwise occupied) Bianca was the same age as Deanna Richardson. Not that that meant anything, of course. Except for the fact that Bianca was the same age as Jack's ex. Which, of course, didn't mean anything.

It wasn't long before people were wondering if Bianca's resentment of Jack was not because of the so-called 'boy's club' in medicine that she kept going on about (it hadn't exactly stopped her admiration of either her husband or Vincent Hughes) but because of an unrequited fling which had meant much more to her than it had to him. Charlotte was the first to point out that if Jack had known Bianca when he was in second year and she was in fifth, given that he started university at sixteen, he would have been seventeen to her twenty-two.

In short, people were saying by the end of the day, Bianca had held a grudge for nearly ten years over a fling that Jack had soon lost interest in when he had been a teenager and she should have had more dignity in her twenties. It was too good a story _not_ to pass between all the people who had been slighted by Bianca.

Jack was surprised that the rumour mill had got the story pretty much close to the truth, a rarity for _any_ rumour mill, let alone one in a major hospital where people's lives were so intertwined with one another's that they often had nothing better to do than pass on the story as it got more and more out of hand. (Although to be fair, it was only the end of day one.) But he was a little pissed off at Gabrielle. He had expected better of her than to go around repeating a confidence.

"I didn't!" she said indignantly when Jack confronted her. "I was just needling her about her age – which you said I could do, by the way – and Charlotte kind of worked the rest out. She knows you better than you think she does, I reckon." She reconsidered her words and gave a short laugh. "Actually, I think _everyone_ knows you better than that in that regard, given your penchant for older women who seem to cause you nothing but trouble," she teased. Jack glowered at her. "Look, I'm sorry," she added. "I really didn't say anything."

Jack made himself relax. He knew Charlotte quite well himself, and knew that the older woman had a certain talent for ferreting out the details and piecing them together until she had the general big picture before you realised you'd said anything. "It's fine," he said. "I just wish Dan hadn't found out about it." As if he cared about his own reputation anyway. Everyone knew he had a history of promiscuity – it was OK for guys, or at least more OK than it was for girls – and one more woman didn't make a difference. In fact, if it wasn't because of Dan, Jack would be quite pleased that Bianca had been exposed for the bitter, petty hypocrite that she was.

"I don't see why you're so considerate towards his feelings," Gabrielle said. "He wasn't exactly considerate of yours."

Jack shrugged. Truth be told, he'd been enjoying living with Gabrielle so much that he really didn't have the ill-will to think badly of Dan. "There just didn't seem any point. I've no idea how interested in him Bianca actually was and how much of it was just to get to me... and now he's never going to be sure, either. I didn't see the point in putting him through that."

"Sorry," Gabrielle said in a small voice. She still though Jack was being far more considerate of Dan than he deserved, given the circumstances, but that was Jack's decision and she had kind of helped blow it for him. "Why don't I take you to dinner to make up for it? You choose. You're always bragging about how you know _all_ the best places in Sydney. About time you proved it, I think."

* * *

"Talk about of all the places in all the world," Gabrielle said, making a face. Up until now, they had been having a fantastic time. She was beginning to think Jack really _did_ know all the best places in Sydney. Certainly, this Thai place was to die for. She was beginning to think she would be happy never cooking again, just going out or ordering in. Not to mention he was easy to talk to and could make her think and laugh in quick succession.

Jack twisted around in his seat to see Bianca and Peter Frost entering the place. "I don't see why they'd come here," he said. "Much too low-brow for them." Peter was a good ten-fifteen years older than Bianca and a highly respect cardio surgeon. Many considered him to be the new Richard Craig, in both professional and personal lives, and such men rarely deigned to go to family-friendly eateries, even if they did serve the best Thai food in the western suburbs. But here they were. "What are you – ah," he said when Gabrielle scooted her chair around so it was right next to his with a flash of that cheeky smile that he was beginning to learn meant she was up to something – and usually something deliciously mean and clever. Where they were sitting, it would be impossible for the Frosts not to notice them, or the fact that Gabrielle was sitting so close to him, too close for ordinary friendship – or so most people would think. Most people would think half an hour patiently unkinking the knots in her hair to be more than just friendship, too.

Jack thought they would just pass without comment. To his surprise, they stopped – although at Peter's instigation, not Bianca's. He stifled the urge to laugh at Bianca when he saw the scowl on her face. Weather it was because of the rumours circling the hospital or because he had never bothered to take _her_ to dinner, he didn't know, but knowing he had upset her too deeply to hide it would be worth whatever pointless tasks she dished out for him in the days to come. "You're Jack Quade," Peter said pleasantly, and it was clear he shared none of his wife's animosity. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Don't believe any of it," Jack half-joked, shooting a look in Bianca's direction. She looked livid. He wondered what she'd said to her husband, what she'd been _able_ to say without revealing exactly why she hated him so much.

"If I had someone like Mike Vlasek and Vincent Hughes having such a high opinion of me, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops," Peter said. "But you have a track record of modesty. I pulled up your academic records and I must say, I'm very impressed. It isn't easy to get a scholarship to AUMEL – as my wife would know." He gave a short chuckle which was just a _touch_ too mean-spirited to be taken wholly in good humour. Theirs was an interesting marriage of two very smart and very ambitious people.

Jack was floored that Mike and Vincent would say such things about him – but then, they were hardly going to say them to his _face_ were they? And Peter had been impressed enough to pull up his academic records? Not that he was sure he wanted someone like Peter marking him as someone to watch – too much like Richard Craig, who Jack had had a complete lack of respect for as a man, brilliant surgeon though he was – but it was nice to know that he had impressed someone regarded so highly in the surgical community. Ha, so Peter was impressed with him while Bianca could barely hide her resentment of him at his side. _That_ had to be a bitter pill to swallow. He shot another look in Bianca's direction. She was turning red with anger, and he was childish enough to be enjoying himself. "And you must be Gabrielle Jaeger," Peter continued, looking in Gabrielle's direction. "Frank Campion thinks very highly of you?"

"He does, does he?" Gabrielle asked cynically. She couldn't picture Frank speaking highly of _anyone_.

Peter laughed, knowing exactly what Frank was getting at. "OK, he actually said you were an improvement on the manipulative tramp that was your predecessor," he admitted. Which they all knew was as close to a compliment as you were likely to get out of Frank. "It's good to see you both," he said in a voice that sounded as close to sincere as someone like Peter Frost got. "I expect I'll see you around the place." And he and Bianca headed to their own table, Bianca looking ready to explode.

"Wow," Jack said, snickering a little. "She looked pissed. And I can't believe how polite he was to you. I thought he hit on everything in a skirt."

"He does," Gabrielle confirmed. Like Richard Craig before him, Peter Frost considered nurses to be his own personal supply of bedmates – at least, that's what she had been told by agency nurses who had worked both with him on the surgical team at St. Angela's and with her in the ED at All Saints. "He was extending you a professional courtesy."

"A what?"

"Professional courtesy. Even Steve knew not to go after the wives and girlfriends of his fellow doctors. It very quickly leaves you with not many doctors willing to work with you." She giggled. "My God, the look on Bianca's face. I don't know what she was more pissed off about – that Peter seemed to have taken a shine to you or that you were out with me. Looking pretty cosy, too," she added. She had only intended for her and Jack to be _seen_ together, very close, but for Peter to actually bring them over and talk to them, for Bianca to be so obviously put out that she, normally haughtily calm and collected, could barely contain herself – that had been beyond thrilling.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Jack said with a newfound sense of admiration for Gabrielle. This was no doormat, as Bianca had found out to her detriment. Not for the first time he thought this Steve had been a complete fool to do the wrong thing by her.

"I can't imagine you being jerk enough to get on my bad side," she said, a touch more flirtatiously than she had intended.

"I'll do my best," he replied. He glanced over at the Frost's table, where Bianca was glaring at him as best she could without Peter latching on. He snickered at the image. "Here," he said, and it was obvious by the direction of his gaze that he was intending to do something that would make Bianca jealous. He cupped her face and turned it slightly so she was looking direction at him. "Anyone who's jerk enough to get on your bad side deserves to be shot," he said, continuing the conversation – although she noticed that he kept looking directly at her, not at Bianca to gauge her reaction, and she decided that could only be a good thing.

* * *

"Jack! Jack! Hey, wait up!" Dan yelled, trying to catch up with Jack as he strode towards his car. God, but the guy was fit.

Jack finally slowed to a stop and waited for Dan to catch up. "Yeah?" he asked. He was tired and hungry and wanted to go home to what was sure to be another delicious meal.

"Look, I wanted to ask you something," Dan said.

There was a lengthy pause as Dan fidgeted, searching for the words. Jack became bored and was increasingly aware of his tiredness and hunger. "Whatever it is, just spit it out, will you?" he asked. "I'm tired and hungry. Sorry," he added when he saw Dan flinch. "I'm just... tired and hungry."

"It's fine. I, uh... look, it's about you and Bianca. Um... did you really know her at uni?"

"Not really. She was three years above me. I didn't have much to do with that entire year."

"OK, but you saw her around?"

"Yeah."

"And, um..." Jack started inspecting his nails. They were getting a touch too long and dirt was getting under them, never a good look for a surgeon. And damned if he was going to give Dan any leeway here. If he wanted to know about him and Bianca, he could come out and ask. Actually, it was kind of fun watching him squirm. "Look, is it true that you slept with her?" Dan finally blurted out.

"Yep." Jack didn't stop inspecting his nails.

"Damnit, Jack. Stop ignoring me."

"Yeah, well, stop beating around the bush. It's not my fault she was full of crap. You want to know about my life eight years before you knew me, then ask me and stop wasting my time." He hadn't meant to be so short with Dan, but after two months of living with Gabrielle and her brand of frankness, he had little patience with anything else.

"OK... you slept with her. When?"

"Once, in second year."

"You really were seventeen?" Jack nodded. ""Was it a relationship?

Jack made a face. "God, no. Like I'd waste my time with her. I'd get back with Deanna before that. She wasn't nearly as talented as she thought she was – in every sense of the word," he added scathingly. Despite knowing he wouldn't want to hear it, Dan found himself asking what had happened. "It was just a one-nighter. Or at least, I thought it was. I went through a lot of them when I was at uni – so sue me, a lot of guys did. To be honest, I don't even know what someone as haughty as she was saw in me, except that I had a reputation for being somewhat... beyond my years. And I don't know what she expected from me, either. How often do you think you're going to get a relationship out of a hook-up at a party?"

"I wouldn't know," Dan said a trifle sullenly, because he wasn't exactly the type to pick up at parties and the one time he had, the girl had gone missing shortly after only to emerge in their ED years later with no idea who she was. And the fact that Jack thought getting back with Deanna preferable to a relationship with Bianca galled him. She wasn't _really_ as bad as everyone said, was she? Guiltily, he remembered that Jack had insisted the exact same thing over Deanna and Dan wondered if maybe _he_ had been in the wrong all along just as Jack had been.

"Well... you don't. And you certainly don't go about it the way she did. She followed me around campus for weeks and sexually harassed me. She complained to admin that _I_ harassed _her_. She just... couldn't get over that I wasn't interested. I think it would have been fine had _she_ been disappointed in _me_ and wanted nothing more to do with me, but..." Jack shrugged. "I hadn't thought about her in years until I worked out who she was. I still don't understand why she would spend so much time hating me."

Dan digested this. Despite his unwillingness to acknowledge it, Jack's version of events along with everyone else's opinion of Bianca sounded more plausible than her own attitude, that Jack was just your run-of-the-mill jerk who cruised through life and went through women like tissues, when everyone who bothered to get to know Jack knew that he came from a working class family and a scholarship background, and that he went through women with no more frequency than Bianca did men. And everyone but Dan thought Bianca was haughty, arrogant, sexually aggressive and had to have the last word. That kind of personality fit entirely within Jack's version of events, whereas if Bianca had known Jack at all she would have known how wrong she was about him... "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly, I didn't realise it until after you had stopped seeing her, and then I thought it wasn't worth mentioning."

"But you mentioned it to Gabrielle."

"So? She's my best friend."

For some reason, that deflated Dan more than knowing that Jack – and everyone else – had been right about Bianca all along. "I didn't realise you were that close."

"I don't see why not. She's easy to get along with. She makes me laugh. And she's the _best_ cook." He hadn't meant that as a dig at Dan, and felt sorry once the words had been said. But what was he supposed to say to rectify that? _Sorry that you're none of those things; rather, that you'd make me sleep in an on-call room to get laid_? It was just that in contrast, Dan wasn't much of a friend – or at least, hadn't been to Jack.

The words sank into Dan's head. He _hadn't_ been very nice to Jack over the whole Bianca drama, and it seemed even worse in retrospect now that he knew the real reason Bianca hated Jack so much. He wondered if Bianca had ever been genuinely interested in him, or she had just seen him as a way to get to Jack. He frowned. It certainly wasn't good for his ego, both knowing that he may very well have let himself be used and that he had treated a friend so badly in his quest to get laid when it should have occurred to him that her story wasn't adding up. He started to say something, but at that moment Jack's phone went off. He read the message quickly, his face breaking into a smile. Dan tried to remember the last time he had seen Jack smile. "Sorry, I've gotta go. That's Gabby telling me I have half an hour before dinner's served – she does the _best_ roast."

Dan nodded. So it was _Gabby_ now? He thought she hated the name. And if _Jack_ said that someone made the best food, then it had to be true. "See you around, then," he said faintly.

Jack barely heard him. He was already headed to his car, no doubt thinking about roast dinner and fun company.

* * *

"I can't believe I treated him like that. I can't believe I let _her_ let me treat him like that," Dan said later that evening to Erica over take-out pizza. He was sure that Jack was eating much better. He missed Jack's cooking. He missed _Jack_.

"I don't think you can blame it on her," Erica said. She was sympathetic, but Dan was a grown man, and thinking with one's penis was not an excuse that grown men qualified for.

"Yeah, but it sounded nice," Dan said wistfully. Only since Jack had admitted that the rumours doing the rounds were fairly true – remarkably close to the truth, actually, given that they had been working mostly on Charlotte's speculation over something that had happened almost ten years ago – had he really thought about how his actions had affected Jack, and he hadn't liked the truth one bit.

He had forced Jack to sleep at the hospital for a week at a time because Bianca had insisted that she preferred his place. Damn straight she preferred his place, seeing's she had a husband stashed at hers. And when Jack had informed him of that fact, rather than be grateful for watching his back, he had told Jack where the door was. And the whole thing may or may not have been over Bianca wanting to make Jack feel unwelcome in his own home, and not out of any genuine affection she had for him.

God, how people had to be laughing at him right now.

God, Gabrielle must laugh every night at how Dan's bad behaviour was her benefit.

"It was a shitty thing to do," he admitted.

"Yeah, it was." When Dan shot Erica a peeved look, she shot him one back; she was not going to sugar-coat that it had been a shitty way to treat a friend when he himself had admitted to it.

"I miss him." In this industry, there weren't a lot of male friends to be had because there weren't a lot of males around and Jack was one of the few male doctors who didn't look down on him – at least a little – for effeminising himself by being a male nurse. Which only made him feel worse for the way _he_ had treated _Jack_ when the time had come to demonstrate that he was a decent human being. "You know I love hanging out with you, but –"

"Yeah, I know." Erica knew she would feel exactly the same if she had only one good girlfriend and she was on the outs with that girlfriend. Especially if it was because of her own actions. "Look, you need to be telling _him_ this. He's a decent guy. He won't hold it against you forever more if you just freaking apologise. He _knows_ you were wrong. _You_ know you were wrong. There's no shame in saying it. If you'd just said it in the first place instead of acting like buying him a beer was the same thing as apologising, you wouldn't be missing him right now. You'd be burning out the circuit on that thing," she said, gesturing to the playstation, which looked like it was gathering dust.

"I know. It's just –"

"It's just nothing," Erica cut him off. "Forget this 'love means never having to say you're sorry' crap. You stuffed up, you both know it, the only way you're going to get your mate back is to apologise."

* * *

"I think Dan was about to apologise when you messaged," Jack said at around the same time at Gabrielle's place. Dinner was, as usual, delicious, and as thanks he let her lie across the couch with her head in his lap while he stroked her hair and they half-watched _Buffy_. He relayed the conversation he had with Gabrielle.

"Sounds like he's sorry," Gabrielle said. "And humiliated." She grinned wickedly at that, a grin she was grateful that Jack couldn't see. She knew he was very fond of Dan and felt bad about putting him through the humiliation of people talking about him being used to get to Jack, not to mention the far worse factor of wondering himself if her feelings had been genuine at all, but part of her got a thrill out of knowing she had sowed the seats to strike a blow for wronged friends everywhere. "I think you have some _major_ leverage."

"Really?"

"Of course. Don't go back without some serious concessions. I reckon you can get at _least_ three month's rent knocked off. And don't forget to remind him that you pay the same to me, and I live in a much nicer place."

"So I've noticed." For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to broach the subject of him staying on permanently. It was just that he had so much fun with Gabrielle, and she actually seemed _interested_ – or was one damn fine actor – in the things he found so fascinating, whereas Dan sometimes made him feel like an overintelligent freak of nature. It wasn't his fault, of course, a lot of people tended to know that when they found out you could read books in foreign languages, but Gabrielle just made him feel... smart.

Not to mention welcome. Even though this really was more her house than Dan's was his because this had never meant to be a permanent arrangement, he had felt far more welcome here than he had living with Dan. Maybe it was knowing that every evening he had a home-cooked meal to come home to, or that Gabrielle wasn't the kind of person who would turf you out of the house to get laid – but he felt welcome here.

"I'm going to miss you," was all he could manage to say.

She tilted her head and smiled up at him. She couldn't help but wonder just how _much_ he would miss her. Oh, she knew they had fun together and that they would still see each other socially after this, but really miss her? She doubted it. Not the way he would miss – well, a girlfriend. She knew he was fond of her, but she also knew from his past that she wasn't the type of woman he would date. They said men tended to gravitate to women who reminded them of their mothers, and since he had never known his mother and hated his step-mother, so it stood to reason that the type of woman he would gravitate to would be someone attractive and sophisticated, like his sister. Deanna and Bianca were no doubt first-class bitches, but they had a certain sophistication about them that Gabrielle knew she would never possess – and that Jack seemed to gravitate towards, whatever the consequences.

No, he would never miss her like he would a girlfriend, because he would never think of her like a girlfriend.

"I'm going to miss you, too," she decided was the safest thing to say. "But we'll still see each other socially, won't we? I would hate to lose you as a friend just because you've patched things up with Dan."

"Yeah, of course," Jack said, a little disappointed by the emphases she seemed to put on the word _friend_.

* * *

Dan caught up with Bianca the next day, who was, understandably, in a furious mood. Not only had Jack and that plain little mouse that he may or may not be dating - no-one could work it out, not even his doppelganger Charlotte – contrived to let the world know that she was three years older than she had claimed to be, but they had somehow managed to let the world know about the night she had spent with Jack all those years ago, all the while claiming that neither of them had said a word about it.

So no, she did not want to speak to some nothing nurse who had called it off when he'd found out she had a husband. If it was good enough for Peter to screw around, why wasn't it good enough for her? "I'm busy, Dan," she muttered angrily as Dan raced to catch up with her. He stepped in front of her and made it obvious that he intended to block her path until she spoke to him, and she decided that it was better that than looking like an idiot, playing a stupid game of give-way with an ex-lover. "What do you want?" she asked. "Unlike some of us, I have important things to do."

Now that she had no reason to be nice to Dan, she didn't bother, and Dan understood immediately why so many people disliked her. If she considered you beneath her, or that you had nothing to offer her, than you were little more than a cockroach to her – or maybe a particularly useful dog. And he had defended this woman to people? Now he was beginning to appreciate how crap Jack had felt after finding out just how manipulative Deanna was. "Look, I want to know if it's true about you and Jack?" he asked, even though he already knew it was true and just wanted to see what she had to say.

"None of your goddamn business what I did or didn't do eight years before you knew me, and why are you listening to that prick?" she snarled, which was plenty an answer for Dan.

"That _prick_ happens to be a good friend of mine who I made sleep at the hospital because _you_ claimed to have a liking for my bed. What was it, Bianca? That we couldn't go to yours 'cos you had a husband stashed at home, or did you get a kick out of forcing Jack out of his own home?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Bianca snapped, using the same condescending tone that she used on the rest of Gabrielle's staff, including Gabrielle.

It was all the answer Dan needed. It hurt, but nowhere near the shame he felt about letting her use him that way. _Letting her use him that way_? He was a grown man; he didn't have the right to use his penis as an excuse to behave badly. "I can see why people are comparing you to Deanna," Dan said sweetly, and for the first time in his gamer-geek life he was struck with a bitchy comeback for someone who truly deserved it. "Hey, maybe you could track her down. The two of you could start a club; women who've been rejected by Jack."

The last thing he saw of her was the look on her face as he walked off.

He located Jack later that day. It was time to eat humble pie. "Look, man, I'm really sorry," he said. "I was a complete asshole to you over Bianca, and when you tried to tell me she was married – look, I behaved in the worst possible way a friend could, and what's worse is I did it when you were trying to cover my back. It was a mean and selfish thing to do."

"Yeah, it was," Jack said.

"Well... I'm really sorry and... I miss you. You're the only good guy friend I've really got. I want you to move back in."

Jack found himself a little wary. He had figured it would come to this eventually, but living with Gabrielle and her friendship and hospitality had made him all the more aware of how badly Dan had treated him. "What's to stop you from doing it again the next time a pretty girl comes along?" he asked.

"I've thought about this a lot. I remember when you found out about Deanna and everyone thought you were such an idiot for thinking so highly of her –" Dan decided to cut that sentence short just there as it was obvious from the expression on Jack's face that he did not wish his relationship with Deanna to be compared to Dan's with Bianca. "Anyway, I remember how bad you felt about it, that you were the only one who didn't see her for what she was and... I think I know how you felt now. To insist that there's another side to her when, actually, she's a bitch through-and-through."

Jack was surprised to hear Dan refer to Bianca as a bitch. He must have confronted her. Well, at least now he saw her for what she really was. Jack pretended to think about Dan's request that he move back in. "I want three months free rent," he said. "It's hardly more than what you owe me for charging me rent to sleep in the hospital." Which was something of an exaggeration – try three weeks instead of three months – but he knew Dan was unlikely to quibble.

"Done." Dan was too relieved that Jack had agreed quickly to care about three months rent. He had already lost two, what was another three when he was at fault anyway?

"And twenty percent off the rent."

"What! Not fair! It's a good deal as it is!"

Jack shrugged. "Gabrielle lives in a nicer area and is giving it to me for twenty percent less. Not my fault she was smart with her money and payed a hefty deposit so she's got hardly any mortgage repayments." Actually, Gabrielle's father had done some pretty nifty legal work on the family trust so Gabrielle could own her own home; it had seemed only fair, since her younger brother Ben would inherit the farm intact. But Dan didn't need to know that.

Dan glowered at that. Just because some people could afford to take cut-prices on tenants – but he knew he wasn't in a position to be choosy on the conditions if he wanted Jack to move back in. From the sounds of it, he had a better deal in location, rent and landlady than he did with Dan, and Dan would at least have to match Gabrielle on the rent if he wanted Jack back. Which he did. "Fine," he said, albeit somewhat grudgingly. "When can you move back in?"

"Tonight, if you want to help me move," Jack said. Dan had a funny feeling that that meant _he_ move all Jack's stuff while Jack and Gabrielle supervised him over margarita mix.

* * *

"Thanks for everything," Jack said to Gabrielle hugging her tightly, talking close to her ear. "Not just for letting me stay... for everything." In Gabrielle he had found a perfect match in loyalty, humour and the willingness to plot against those who had wronged them.

"Thank_you_," she replied. "You made me believe in men again. Or at least some men."

He kissed her forehead, not wanting to let her go. She felt so right in his arms. She had come to mean a lot to him, and he wanted to tell her, but he knew how stupid the words might sound, like he was some lovesick fool. Especially since she knew better than anyone how promiscuous he had been in the past.

He had never regretted more his past than when he was holding her now. Perhaps if he could come to her as someone who had slept around less, as someone less like her ex... But he knew there was a difference between her liking him as a friend and her loving him as a boyfriend, and right now, that felt like a chasm that couldn't be bridged.

Later, he was playing playstation with Dan, and found himself feeling restless. This is what he had wanted for two months, what he had been plotting with Gabrielle over... funny how it wasn't as enjoyable as it had been two months ago. Funny how the take-out pizza and playstation annoyed him rather than made him happy like they once had.

He'd never had a real guy friend before Dan. His natural inclination was towards women, and he'd only really clicked with Dan out of necessity – Dan for a housemate to share the rent, Jack for a house to live under after his old one had burned down. But for someone who had always gravitated towards women over men, he had enjoyed living with Dan. Having a male friend was different to have a female friend, he had found, and if Dan sometimes drove him bonkers with his disinclination towards cooking or cleaning, he had learned to accept that.

Only now, it didn't seem to be as good as it once had been. He felt oddly bored, when he had never felt bored living with Dan before.

"You OK, mate?" Dan asked. Jack looked decidedly disinterested.

"Fine," he said.

"Is it Gabrielle?"

"Huh?"

"Gabrielle. Do you miss her?" Dan asked.

His question was of an insight that Jack hadn't normally found in Dan that he was momentarily speechless. "Yeah," he agreed cautiously.

"As more than a mate."

Jack was immediately defensive. "What the hell are you talking about? Have you been listening to Bianca's rubbish? Did she tell you she saw us at the Thai Palace?"

"Woah, woah, Jack," Dan said, putting his hand up in a _stop_ motion. "Bianca hasn't said anything to me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm currently number-two on her shit-list after _you_. Or maybe number-three after you and Gabrielle," he added after a moment's thought. "I've just noticed how happy you are – _were_ living with her. You were always talking about the stuff you did together and the food you cooked for each other. Both of you."

"That was mostly to make you think about what you were missing," Jack admitted.

Dan laughed at that. The pieces suddenly fell into place. Jack and Gabrielle had schemed over this together. "But you wouldn't have done it to the degree you did if you guys hadn't been in sync... if you hadn't cared about each other to know each other," he said, again with an insight that floored Jack.

"What would you know?" he demanded, because Dan was hitting a nerve.

"I know that you don't smile at anyone the way you smile at her. I know she doesn't permit anyone else to call her Gabby. I know you don't ditch your sister for just anyone," Dan recited, and the look on Jack's face confirmed it. He had fallen in love with her. "Jesus, just go and tell her."

"And if she rejects me?"

"Then she rejects you. We can all handle the moping you did after Terri dumped you again – yourself included. And something tells me she's not going to reject you," he added.

Jack grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Something told Dan that he had lost his housemate for good. Well, fair enough, he had kind of driven him away in the first place. And if it put a smile like that on Jack's place permanently...

* * *

"Jack! Did you forget something?" Gabrielle asked when Jack let himself into her house, still in possession of his keys.

"Uh...no." Now that he was here, his words lost him.

"Then what's up?" She hadn't been expecting to see him until at least tomorrow. Not that it wasn't a pleasant surprise.

"Ummm...." Jack wiped his hands on his jeans, leaving dark sweat marks on the material.

"Jack? Are you OK?" Gabrielle asked. She had never seen him nervous like this. Actually, she couldn't remember seeing him nervous at all. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I uh – I – I'minlovewithyou," he blurted out quickly, striding towards her as he did, grabbing her and kissing her, pushing his mouth hard against hers and thrusting his tongue in her mouth aggressively.

For a second, she remained stiff in his arms, too shocked to do anything. He pulled away, it registering what he had done. What in his head had been natural and sweet and involved him kissing her back and in reality been him pushing himself onto her, stiff and unresponsive. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I – uh – I'm going to go now." He bolted to the door.

"Jack wait," Gabrielle called after him. "Jack – please – _stop_. Hey!" She scooted in front of him, blocking his exit. "Look, it's just that I'm not exactly used to guys throwing themselves at me. Can we try again? Please?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully, trying desperately to tell him with her eyes that she wanted him to start over, but slower.

"I'm – in – love – with – you," Jack repeated slowly. "I didn't realise how much until I was back at Dan's and I missed you. I have fun with you and – I've never felt this way about someone before. I thought I did, but when I'm with you –" he realised he was babbling. "Look – can I –" he asked, and cupped her chin, tilting her head so he could look into her eyes. He searched them for permission to kiss her and got it. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her gently, closed-mouth, waiting for permission to go further. It came when she opened her mouth, trembling slightly. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and searched for her own. She met it and he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist as she threw hers around his neck.

Kissing him was better than she had imagined and she pushed her body against his up against the door. "Jack," she murmured. She had been kissed before, but not like this. She wondered if Jack, being a Sydney boy born-and-bred, had a certain sophistication and finesse that country boys like Steve lacked. She giggled at the thought.

"What's so funny?" he whispered.

"Nothing. Just keep kissing me."

"Happy to oblige." He lifted her up slightly and carried her over to the couch. They started in a sitting position but it was all too easy to push her down onto her back. He kissed her mouth, her face, her neck, tasting her, inhaling her, savouring every element of her. Kissing her was better than he had imagined, and she was so eager to be kissed. He moved his hands down her body, touching her, wanting to feel every inch of her.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and dragged her hands down his back and under his shirt. Jack bucked against her at the feel of her hands on his bare back, loving the feel of her. He moved his hand slowly down her chest, cupping her breast. Oh, God, he wanted her so much, he couldn't remember wanting a woman so badly; not Terri, not Deanna...

He felt his jeans start to tighten and he reluctantly pulled away from her. "Something wrong?" she asked, certain she had done something that he didn't like. "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this. I don't have a lot of experience."

He smiled at her. She was never cuter than when she thought her lack of experience and pretentions was a turn-off when it was actually enchanting. "You're wonderful. But I don't want to do this. Not yet." She looked confused. "I've always rushed too quickly into relationships. I've never had a relationship which didn't start with sex on the first date, and I've hardly had any relationships where a date even preceded sex." Funny how he suddenly felt ashamed of that when he had never been bothered by it before; in fact, he had up until now been of the opinion that sex on the first date was a necessity because if you didn't have the right chemistry, it wasn't worth the bother. "I want to date you. I want to take you out to dinner and hold your hand and stuff before I go to bed with you."

"Oh. OK." She tried not to look disappointed when she wouldn't have minded in the least if Jack had wanted to ravish her on the couch. Jack eased himself off her. "You feel like a cuppa?" she asked, feeling a little stupid. They had been in a steamy make-out session just a few seconds before and now she was offering him drinks like he was a guest.

"I'd love one." Actually, he hated tea, but if it distracted him from how hot he was for her right now –

Gabrielle went over to the kitchen and busied herself getting things out. Jack came after her and put his hands on her hips and ran his mouth through her hair. "You're beautiful," he said in such a way that she wholeheartedly believed him.

"Jack..." she said as he began trailing soft kisses over his shoulders. Why did he have to get a conscience about taking a woman to bed before he dated her _now_? It had certainly never bothered him before. "Look, haven't we already kind of dated?" she asked him.

"Huh?"

"We've gone to dinner – and movies – and a play – doesn't that count as dating?"

"I guess so," he said, not moving his mouth from her shoulders. It was only a pity she was wearing a t-shirt and he couldn't unbutton it and bare her shoulders.

"So – if you want..."

Yes, he wanted. "Is it what _you_ want?" he asked. "I don't want to rush you."

"Jack, I've wanted it since you took me out on my birthday," she admitted.

He chuckled. "That long, huh? You should have said something." He spun her around so she was facing him and kissed her deeply. They resumed the make-out session they had started on the couch and he thrust his crotch against her thigh to show her how much he wanted her.

"Take me to bed, Jack," she murmured between kisses. She pushed him towards her bedroom without stopping the kisses until he was backed up against the door, kind of like in her fantasy, except then _she_ had been against the wall. It was like déjà vu. "Is this real?" she whispered, wondering if maybe she was just fantasizing again. "I'm not dreaming? Ow! Shit, that hurt!" she yelped when he brought his hand hard against her ass. "What was that for?"

"Real enough for you?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. "I can do it again if you want." She poked her tongue out at him and he responded by kissing her again.

He opened the door behind him and once in the bedroom, they edged towards the bed. He lowered himself onto it with her on top of him, and her weight felt good. Except for one little thing –

He flipped them so she was beneath him. "I like to be on top," he said with a cheeky grin.


End file.
